WACO, Texas - Former Baylor track and field student-athlete Leigh Ann Ganzar was recently chosen as one of two Baylor University graduates to receive the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship - the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.

Ganzar, who ran track and cross country at BU from 2007-11, received the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) and will spend the 2013-2014 academic year in Brazil teaching English to university students.

Ganzar earned her degree in biology in 2011 and is currently a master's candidate in community health education from Littleton, Colo. She is the first BU student-athlete selected for a Fulbright Scholarship since Baylor began keeping records in 1993.

While competing for Baylor, Ganzar was a three-time All-Big 12 Indoor honoree and a member of the 2008 distance medley relay team that took first at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

Along with Ganzar and the other graduate, two current students received the honor as well bringing the total number of Baylor students and/or graduates who have received the prestigious honor since 2001 to 36.

The Fulbright Program, which is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, selects participants based on their academic merit and leadership potential. Through the program, students are provided opportunities for one academic year to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program currently awards approximately 1,700 grants annually in all fields of study and operates in more than 155 countries.

The Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas and is sponsored by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).